Rock and Roll HOF nominees announced

now THAT'S comedy. and true.

 

One of the reasons the DC5 finally got nominated was their lead singer and main songwriter, Mike Smith, had a devastating accident in 2003 and is paralyzed. He's been in the hospital for over three years and is unlikely to ever get out. The accident came just as he was working on a comeback. He played about 30 dates on two US tours earlier in the year with Mike Smith's Rock Engine. It was the first time he'd performed in the US since 1967. The plan was for a full tour in 2004, which was the 40th anniversary of the British Invastion.

Because of his plight, some people have been pushing for the DC5 to get in the Hall. Steve Van Zandt has been among the leaders of the movement, as has Paul Shaffer. Springsteen has cited the DC5 as an influence.

Basically they had huge hits for two years (1964-65), then fell by the wayside with only two major hits ("Try Too Hard" and "You Got What It Takes") in 1966-67. After that they disappeared from the US charts. They still had hits in England, but they were mostly covers of songs that had already been hits.

One thing working against them is the revelation that most of the group's hits were recorded with studio musicians. Smith was the only accomplished musician in the group. Clark didn't play on the hits. The legendary big drum sound was provided by UK session player Bobby Graham.

They had a great sound in the early days and they had big hits. But in the final analysis, are they that much different than, say, Paul Revere and the Raiders, who actually had more hits?

 

Not to unnecessarily dog on the DC5, but this is very much reminiscent of Frankie Frisch pulling strings to get utility infielders, pinch hitters and bat boys from his Giants days into the baseball HOF.

Springsteen saying he was "influenced" by the Dave Clark Five is like Albert Pujols saying he used to enjoy watching Dave Kingman play. : :

 

Excellent point. I've always been a fan of Revere and the Raiders too -- "Good Thing" and "Him Or Me (What's It Gonna Be)" are fantastic records. Plus, as far as I'm aware, they actually played their own instruments. I stand to be corrected if that's not true.

And I hadn't heard that tidbit about the DC5, but I don't doubt it. Hmmm, I guess Gerry and the Pacemakers, who could and did play on their records, should take another step forward in line.

Given Bruce's affinity for Manfred Mann (when Paul Jones was the lead singer), I can believe that he picked up a thing or two from listening to DC5 records.

 

There should be no argument about Grandmaster Flash at all -- and no rap means no old blues guys and no ancient C&W, either.
Proof (again) that Halls of Fame exist mainly to make people argue with each other.
Dave Clark Five -- a decent band with an album's worth of good-to-great singles, but put them in and the British Invasion floodgates are open.

 

http://www.rockhall.com/hof/process.asp

Performers
Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria include the influence and significance of the artist’s contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.

The Foundation’s nominating committee, composed of rock and roll historians, selects nominees each year in the Performer category. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of about 1,000 rock experts. Those performers who receive the highest number of votes, and more than 50 percent of the vote, are inducted. The Foundation generally inducts five to seven performers each year.

 

I also think KISS Alive II is also one of the best live albums I ever wore out on the turntable.

 

The Ronettes were stellar - I'm surprised they're not getting more love here. Does their reputation suffer because Phil Spector was pulling all the strings? Still, Ronnie's voice enough gets them in.

 

I thank you, Ian Hunter thanks you and all the Young Dudes thank you.

 

Not to speak for anyone else, but Huggy and I also thank you.

It's just another night on the other side of life, kids.

 

Indeed. If the RRHOF is considering the likes of Joe Tex (how about some love for Delbert McClinton then?) then Ian Hunter and the boys should be on the ballot too.

I find it hard to believe that KISS and Alice Cooper aren't in. Enormously influential artists, both onstage and on record, who seemed way over the top at the time but if you throw on KISS Double Platinum or the Coop's first Greatest Hits, those records still hold up 30 years later. KISS Alive is one of the great live albums ever too.

 

R.E.M. - a gimme.
Van Halen - not a big fan, but also a gimme.
Patti Smith - I'd vote her in for "Horses" alone (and she inspired a 15-year-old Mrs. Terrier to hop the bus to Boston for her Orpheum show back in the day).
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five - they were the pioneers of rap, its Knute Rockne, its Red Auerbach.
For the fifth, i'd flip a coin between the Ronettes and the Dave Clark Five.